Speakers: Onno de Bruijn (Natuurmonumenten, Dutch Foundation for Natural Monuments and researcher of the Bialowiesza primeval forest) / Marjolijn Dijkman (artist) / Rudy Luijters (artist, Atelier Veldwerk) / Mark de Wit (Director Bosgroep Zuid, Forest Group South). Moderated by: Koen Kleijn (writer / journalist)
In 2007 Dutch artist Marjolijn Dijkman was invited to participate in dertien hectare’s exhibition ‘The field that loonged for fame’. The extreme artificiality of this ‘natural’ environment prompted Dijkman to search for the closest area of ‘authentic’ nature: the Bialowiesza primeval forest on the border of Poland and Belarus.
As part of her project ‘All Alone Among the Stars’ Dijkman exchanged a young oak tree from the dertien hectare forest with a tree of the same age from Bialowiesza. This subtle – nearly invisible – act has far reaching implications. Do we experience natural and man-made nature differently? How will each tree influence their new environments? To what extent can we make nature at all?
On the occasion of dertien hectare’s 2010 exhibition ‘The woods that see and hear’, Dijkman continues her ongoing project by presenting an afternoon of discussion at dertien hectare. This event will examine the tree exchange and address issues such as environmental policy in the Netherlands (including the subsidy schemes which enabled the planting of trees on the dertien hectare site); the mythological and symbolic function of a forest; and the idea that a forest can act as a witness to human activity over time.
During the discussion, each speaker will make a twenty minute contribution. In the last hour Koen Kleijn will lead a discussion between the speakers and with the audience.
Onno de Bruijn has conducted extensive research into the Biolawiesza primeval forest. He shares his experience with the audience and describes how the forest has acted as witness to human activity.
In his work artist Rudy Luijters (The Hague, 1955) researches various domains of public space, ranging from historical landscapes, via rural architecture to the urban environment. He will present various examples of artistic projects that influence the way we experience nature and question our perception of the natural environment.
Mark de Wit is the director of Bosgroep Zuid (Forest Group South), a forest management organisation in the Netherlands. He will share some examples of forest management in private ownership. He talks about different attitudes towards natural environments, including a different perspective of nature gained during two years of living in Nepal.